Sorry

Browse eBay and you get the same painful interface. The eBay app, however, works great. This trend is growing.

Jeff Atwood, on Coding Horror, talks about his love for eBay over the years, and how much better the mobile / tablet app has become while the website interface languishes far behind. He then counts the ways apps are better than websites, including being faster, smarter screen design (they have to do a lot with a little), and working offline.

But websites aren't dead, at least not yet. They work with any device with a browser, while apps must be written for each platform. Websites don't update on the device and they don't have to be installed. And, of course, apps need websites for downloads, linking, and marketing. But if websites don't get better, apps may tip the scales in their favor.

Apps aren't that great

Platforms that like to skim off the top make web sites seem more inviting to many companies.